Meta’s Ambitious Project Waterworth

Meta has announced plans to invest multiple billions of dollars over the next few years in a new subsea internet cable project, dubbed Project Waterworth. This massive undertaking will span an impressive 50,000 kilometers, exceeding the Earth’s circumference, and connect five major continents. As Meta’s first solo undersea cable project, it will utilize a groundbreaking "first-of-its-kind routing" technique and advanced burial methods to maximize the cable’s deployment in deep water, reducing the risk of damage from ships and other hazards.

The Importance of Subsea Cables

The internet may seem omnipresent, but its global connectivity relies heavily on subsea cables, essentially long Ethernet cables that transmit data between continents. The vast majority of internet traffic traverses these cables, making them critical infrastructure for communication and electricity. Recent years have seen these cables become prime targets for sabotage, with countries like Russia linked to attacks on cables, such as the recent cut of a Baltic cable using "ghost vessels." These attacks disrupt adversaries and create chaos as countries test the boundaries of what they can get away with.

Project Waterworth’s Scope and Significance

Meta’s new subsea cable will connect five continents, as illustrated in a globe provided by the company. This ambitious project is driven by the company’s need to support its suite of apps, including Facebook and Instagram, which account for a significant portion of daily internet activity. By building out its own cable, Meta can ensure fast and reliable data transmission, controlling the flow of information and supporting its services.

The Precedent Set by Netflix

Netflix’s experience in building its own content delivery network, including data centers and appliances, has shown the importance of infrastructure investment for supporting high-bandwidth services. After years of complaints from internet service providers (ISPs) about its bandwidth usage, Netflix dropped its support for net neutrality rules, as it no longer needed the protection. However, the company was sued by a South Korean ISP in 2021, which claimed that the popularity of Squid Game was causing network problems. Netflix and other streamers now pay special network fees to help ISPs in South Korea.

The Future of AI and Data Centers

Meta’s announcement of Project Waterworth emphasized the future of AI and its potential to drive demand for data centers. As Big Tech companies anticipate widespread adoption of new AI tools, they expect a surge in data transmission needs. The subsea cables will provide the backbone infrastructure required to support this growth, ensuring that Meta has the necessary bandwidth to transmit the increased volume of data.